London Welsh charged with fielding ineligible player

London Welsh are facing the prospect of a possible fine and a points deduction
that could lead to their relegation from the Aviva Premiership after being
charged by the Rugby Football Union with fielding an ineligible player in
nine league matches.

Eye of the storm: Tyson Keats's registration with London Welsh has led to the Premiership team being charged by the RFUPhoto: ACTION IMAGES

The charges relate to the registration last summer of scrum-half Tyson Keats, a 31-year-old New Zealander who joined the promoted club from now-defunct Italian side Aironi. The case will be heard next Tuesday.

Welsh’s former team manager Mike Scott, who it is understood left the club in December, faces a separate RFU disciplinary hearing relating to Keats’ registration.

Scott, a former team manager at Harlequins, has been charged under RFU Rule 5.12 for “conduct prejudicial to the interests of the Union or the Game”. No date has been set yet for his hearing.

Welsh are three points above bottom club Sale Sharks and two behind London Irish with six league games remaining. A significant points deduction would leave Welsh in serious threat of relegation.

It is understood that the charge against Scott relates to an allegation that he misled the RFU as to Keats’s registration in terms of the documentation that Scott supplied. Keats and his agent are not thought to be linked in any way to the charges.

It is understood that Christchurch-born Keats, who previously played Super Rugby for the Crusaders and Wellington-based Hurricanes, was incorrectly registered as an English player for the start of this season. An overseas player requires a certain visa to enable him to play in the Premiership.

It is understood Keats was re-registered properly with an ancestry visa on Jan 3 and started last Saturday’s Premiership game against Exeter.

Case history suggests that the Exiles could be docked up to two points per match that Keats played in while ineligible, but the club are likely to have strong grounds for mitigation, given that they brought the matter to the RFU after conducting their own investigation earlier this month.

“This is a serious matter which the club has not only brought to the attention of the RFU, but is also working closely with the RFU to provide full co-operation while the case is being prepared,” Tony Copsey, the club’s chief executive, said.

In a statement, the RFU said: “London Welsh are to appear at an RFU competitions hearing charged with fielding an ineligible player in a number of Aviva Premiership matches this season. The club’s former rugby manager, Mike Scott, is the subject of a separate RFU disciplinary hearing relating to the registration of the same player, and has been charged under RFU Rule 5.12 for 'conduct prejudicial to the interests of the union or the game’. That case will be heard at a later date.”

The most recent Premiership club to be docked points were Exeter. They received a two-point deduction and £5,000 fine in April 2011 for fielding too many overseas players in a league game against Leeds Carnegie.

Welsh’s arrival in the Premiership was confirmed only after they won an appeal against a RFU ruling that they had not met sufficient criteria to join the elite division, because they did not have primacy of tenure at Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium, Welsh’s home venue this season.

The appeal panel agreed with the club’s argument that the applied criteria contravened EU and UK competition laws. Newcastle were relegated after finishing bottom of the Premiership last season.

Welsh had only three months to put together a squad in time for the start of the Premiership after winning the legal battle, but the registration rules are exactly the same for the Premiership as the Championship.